On January 12, 2010, Haiti suffered the worst natural disaster to hit our hemisphere since 1770.  The earthquake measured 7.0 on the rictor scale, hurling a devastating blow to the country. The people of Haiti are still reeling from the aftermath of this tragedy, with 170,000 dead, 250,000 injured and over 1 million people homeless.  

International humanitarian organization relief efforts were quick to respond at the onset of the quake, but were soon bottlenecked by internal disagreements and bickering between nations as to how to distribute incoming aid.  As of February 1, 2010, the humanitarian situation in Haiti continues to improve slowly and steadily, but many obstacles still remain. According to conservative estimates, 75 percent of the Haitian capital, Port Au Prince, is totally destroyed and will take at least a decade to rebuild, costing billions of dollars.

The U.S. Armed Forces continue to show tremendous expertise and have approximately 20,000 troops on the ground providing much needed security and logistical support. They are also offering air lift capacity in order to move humanitarian supplies to critical areas of Haiti and providing medical support to treat the Haitian people and helping evacuate the injured for long-term care in the United States.  

I can report without a doubt to the American people, that no other country in the world has won the admiration and respect of the Haitian people than America’s Armed Forces.  There are also nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as the American Red Cross, the International Red Cross and Catholic Relief Services, that are doing exceptional work in the aftermath of this unprecedented human tragedy.  These organizations were first on the scene and provided much-needed medical supplies and services to a dispirited people.

As an observer on the ground, I can see that there are many problems Haitians need to overcome. First, is the problem of security, as over 5,000 notorious criminals escaped an overcrowded prison after the earthquake struck in the center of Port Au Prince.  The criminal gang leaders are now attempting to disrupt the flow of aid in the Cite Soleil area of the capital by intimidating an already weak and weary population. The Haitian national police are attempting to maintain order but have been crippled by personnel losses since more than 200 policemen died as a result of the earthquake.  Members of the U.S. forces and the United Nations’ security forces have reestablished order and have limited the influence of criminal elements in Haiti. Security will improve as the humanitarian situation stabilizes.  Moreover, chronic government corruption continues to plague humanitarian stabilization and reconstruction efforts as Haitian leaders are slow to reassert control over government institutions. There is growing tension between the Haitian people and the government because the people feel that the government is not doing enough to help coordinate international humanitarian efforts. This could be a problem for Haitian leadership as the full extent of this humanitarian becomes much clearer over time. The earthquake will test the resolve of Haitian leaders in the long term and will require close consultation with responsible members of the international community.

Second, another sinister development occurring in Haiti is the politicizing of this disaster by the enemies of the United States such as Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia who claim that the United States is now “occupying Haiti.” This perception is absurd and has gained little traction with the Haitian media and media outlets throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.  The arrogant demand by President of Venezuala Hugo Chavez and his allies to determine Haiti’s rebuilding efforts is extremely dangerous and should be forcefully rejected by the international community.  Chavez seeks to politicize the Haitian crisis for his own personal gain, thereby distracting people from his abysmal domestic economic performance in Venezuela.  Political grandstanding needs to be put aside in order to provide relief to Haiti.

Moreover, the international meeting of foreign ministers to help deal with the crisis in Haiti was held in Montreal, Canada at the end of January proved unsuccessful. The conference provided no new ideas for the long-term recovery and economic development of Haiti. Instead, the international community continued to propose the same, old statist solutions to quell Haiti’s social and economic ills: more state control over reconstruction efforts, international bureaucrats getting in the way of progress and a passive Haitian government allowing more of same misguided but well intentioned policies which have doomed generations of Haitians to an endless cycle of poverty.  

The ruling Haitian political classes of the past, and now the present, are content with being the ward of the international community. A new thinking about how to create and promote free enterprise and market solutions to create jobs in Haiti is what is sorely needed and long overdue.  Free market capitalism is essential in order to instigate and sustaining economic growth. The generational response of charitable giving towards natural disasters is not enough.

The 75-year-old playbook of statist policies of dealing with humanitarian disasters has to be radically changed for Haiti to fully recover and thrive economically. Unless free-market solutions are implemented, Haiti will continue to stumble on the road to a disjointed recovery dependent on the goodwill of the international community. Haiti and its long-suffering people deserve a chance to rebuild and heal after this devastating disaster. Let’s join forces in helping make this possible.